Paris, France: For many in Europe, springtime has been a long time coming. The Continent has been locked in the grips of an enduring winter and the warm rays of spring are only just breaking through. But for the Czech cyclist Roman Kreuziger, the first rays of sun fell not just on the Amstel Gold Race, but on his own cycling career, as the 26-year old finally scored the big win he has been looking for.

Kreuziger, the son of a cyclocross champion, grew up in cycling. And he showed instant promise as a young professional with the Liquigas-Cannondale team, picking up wins at the weeklong Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie.But he didn’t live up to his promise until last Sunday, when he broke away from a group of favorites on the Cauberg climb, bridged up to a fledgling breakaway, and then soloed to victory in the great Dutch Classic.

The Amstel Gold Race, it is said, is a delicate game of millimeters and seconds. Pedaling over a dizzying array of steep hills and narrow farm roads in southern Holland, riders race just millimeters from each other—and from the threat of a crash.

Just ask Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez or Frenchman Thomas Voeckler, two pre-race favorites. Both came tumbling down. Rodriguez suffered a contusion and his Classics campaign is now in question. Voeckler,fared worse, breaking a collarbone. He’ll now have to focus ongetting into top condition for his beloved Tour de France this summer.

The game of seconds usually takes place as the favorites charge up the legendary Cauberg climb just over a kilometer from the finish.

This year, however, Kreuziger surprised the favorites. Attacking on the third of four ascensions on the Cauberg, Kreuziger gapped a pack of favorites that included Slovakia’s Peter Sagan, Australia’s Simon Gerrans, and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde—not to mention Belgium’s world champion Philippe Gilbert, who won his title on the same climb barely six months ago.

With 15 kilometers remaining, the favorites were content to watch each other as Kreuziger raced up the road. It proved to be a fatal mistake, for while Kreuziger had yet to win one of the world’s greatest bike races, he has often been a top placer. By the time he hit the foot of the Cauberg for the final climb, he had amassed a 37-second gap on the fast-chasing field. And even though Gilbert attacked hard with Valverde and Gerrans, they could do little to dent Kreuziger’s lead. By the time he crossed the line, the Saxo-Tinkoff rider still had a 22-second gap, more than enough time to raise his arms and savor victory.

“I just looked down and pedaled without thinking so much,” Kreuziger said later about his final ascension up the mythic crowd-packed climb. “I'm really happy about this win and it goes to the whole team for a job well done.”

“It was a fast race all day, nervous all day,” Gilbert said afterwards. Speaking of Kreuziger’s victory, he added, “We tried to close the gap at the end but it just was not possible.”

Gilbert, however, can come away from the race satisfied that he was the strongest of the favorites on the Cauberg, a good sign as he hopes to win a second Liege-Bastogne-Liege Classic next Sunday in front of his local fans.

But for Peter Sagan, the day’s heavy pre-race favorite, there was only frustration. Although his Cannondale team controlled the race for much of the 251.8 kilometers, Sagan faded badly and could finish no better than 36th, 57 seconds behind the day’s winner.

“My performance today was not what I expected,” Sagan said afterwards. “When I was riding in the peloton I felt good. Then in the finale, when I tried to get up on the pedals I cramped. I think it was due to the warm weather. In last two months I have always raced in low temperatures.” Sagan hinted strongly that he would bring his Classics campaign to a close immediately rather than push on to Fleche-Wallonne on Wednesday and Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday.

Roman Kreuziger, however, will enter the upcoming races with renewed confidence after scoring his biggest career victory here on Sunday. He knows now that he can win against the best. But he also knows that his competition will no longer give him any room to run.